


all the way down and down the curling road

by jillyfae



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Drift Compatibility, Fate & Destiny, Ficlet Collection, M/M, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-05-19 10:52:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14872389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jillyfae/pseuds/jillyfae
Summary: Fairy tales and fate and two souls finding each other, again and again and again. AU Prompt Fills & Ficlets(Each chapter is stand-alone, so it's marked as complete.)





	1. In every world...

**Author's Note:**

> This started with a [Fairy Tale AU/PWP prompt from janusa](http://faejilly.tumblr.com/post/174668215858), and has turned into some sort of multi-verse/multiple lives ROMP. Or something. There's more on the way. When, I have no idea? But I like All The AUs. And Malec. :D
> 
> The title for this one is from an e.e. cummings _short story_ rather than a poem. (He has a fairy tales collection, did you know?) _The Elephant & The Butterfly_ is quite the sweetest thing in the entire world.

Usually there’s a quest, a duty, a cryptic clue that brings them together. Alec always has a family he’s protecting, Magnus always has a past, almost too heavy to bear.

Sometimes they’re both Princes. Warring kingdoms, reluctant allies, on either side of a veil between worlds. Always they have responsibilities, chosen or not, that neither ever quite knows how to put down.

Frequently there’s a curse. Demons. Darkness pursuing one or both of them.

Rarely is it easy.

* * *

  


Their match is arranged, they meet at the engagement, the wedding, their eyes meet and they _want._  But that doesn’t mean they trust. But that doesn’t mean they can keep their hands off each other, the wedding night a blur of heat and need, the tight grip of Alec’s hands and the stutter of Magnus’ breath, the curve of Alec’s back and the break in Magnus’ voice. 

The next day is when the dance starts, lust and politics and fragile trust that neither of them believes in, not at first.

Sometimes never, their entire lives a sequence of mistimed steps and missed chances, comfort in each other’s bodies but never in their hearts.

Usually they manage honesty, soft kisses and the grip of hands until they can find the words they need. _I love you. I would choose you if I had the chance to choose again._

They always have the chance to choose again.

* * *

  


They meet by chance. Usually a battle, a surge of adrenaline, blood hot and breath burning. Their eyes meet and they know; they are not meant to be friends.

They’re never friends.

Occasionally they’re enemies. The spark of magic or steel between them, the memory of too much blood spilled between their friends and allies. Sometimes they reach an uneasy truce. They spend their lives staring at each other across halls and tables and fields, uncertain of exactly what it is they’d want if the world was different. 

Sometimes one of them loses, and the other feels a hole in their world that they never can explain. Sometimes they watch each other die, but no matter how much hate builds between their allies, between them, they can never be the cause of the killing blow.

Usually they have a chance, no matter how tenuous, a thread that links them and pulls them together. 

Sometimes one of them flinches, and the thread goes too taut. Sometimes it breaks. Sometimes they tie it back together. Sometimes they don’t. 

But always there’s one kiss, one moment neither can ever forget, an instant when they’re _home._

* * *

  


They’ve hate-fucked and made love and waited for years and succumbed to lust before they knew each other’s names. They fill each other and break each other and put themselves back together again. They _fit,_  literally and figuratively, life after life, world after world.   


Magnus recognizes every flick of Alec’s gaze, what each shift in posture means, the curve of his eyelashes and the line of his shoulders and the spread of his hips. He knows the turn of his wrist, and the way he balances his weight on his heels or his hands or his knees. Magnus watches, until Alec could tell him anything he ever needed to know without a single word.

Alec maps Magnus’ body with his lips and tongue, until he could drop a kiss against warm skin while blindfolded and know exactly where his mouth just touched. 

Magnus learns every sound from Alec’s throat, every shift of his body, until he can tell how close Alec is to coming by the sound of his breath, the tension of his thighs, the angle of his grip in Magnus’ hair. He knows the beat of Alec’s heart from when they’re pressed so close together that he can feel it echo against his skin.

Alec knows every possible taste he can lick off of Magnus, lipstick or chapstick, lotion or sweat or tears, the burn of Magnus’ come down his throat. He knows the weight of Magnus’ cock against his own, between his thighs, _inside him._  

They learn each other’s rhythms, the pace of their breathing, the roll of their hips, the path their hands will take down each other’s bodies. They learn, and linger, and cherish.

They take each other hard, slam doors and break furniture and are loud enough everyone always knows.

They give to each other, over and over, until their tenderness is a thing they can’t hide, clearly on display every time they touch, every time they talk, every time they look at each other. 

They’re lost, they’re found, they claim each other.

They live, and die, and always seek each other out in the dark. They search, and find, and try again.

They get it right more often than they get it wrong.

They always love.


	2. Pacific Rim (Magnus POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for [@leahazel](https://tmblr.co/mDUloUFpJFM56-nSIxHdxYA) and [@ohfreckle](https://tmblr.co/mQRvVFoe_l2-Cd9A5nHUkLA): Pac Rim/Shadowhunters and Drift Compatible Malec [[tumblr post](http://faejilly.tumblr.com/post/177844095243)]
> 
> Feel free to yell at me on [tumblr](http://faejilly.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/faejilly) if you have any other AU prompts... I'm faejilly on both, and I'll see what I can do. <3

Magnus wasn’t a big fan of _early,_  but every morning before going to the labs he made sure to swing by the gym. There was a small cardio room where most of the techs went, bikes and treadmills and ellipticals, enough movement to balance out all the time they spent bent over computers and printers and sims, but that wasn’t where he went.

Magnus liked the pilots’ gym.

They had free-weights.

And Lightwoods.

Not that he went _just_  to watch Alec Lightwood spar with his siblings, but it didn’t hurt. Nice way to start the day.

The Lightwoods trained together most mornings. They were all three of them drift compatible, in any combination. No one had ever seen anything like it. The techs were still trying to work out a good way to balance the input so all three of them could share a jaeger, but until then they just rotated shifts, two on a mission, the third back in Ops, snarking at them over the radio. Though Jace and Isabelle only drifted for training. They were very good for pushing uncertain new trainees forward, but they pushed too much in an actual fight, their drift moving each of them faster and faster until the jaeger couldn’t keep up, and the system flared out.

Luckily they’d had back-up when they figured that out. Alec had almost attempted to grab a jaeger and pilot it on his own to go get them; Luke had barely managed to keep him on the comms to keep his siblings stable while Branwell and Monteverde took out the kaiju.

Everyone came back fine. 

It was nice when that happened.

Magnus was still mad he hadn’t figured out some sort of governor to keep them in check. Alec had just laughed when he’d heard Magnus complaining. Said no one could keep those two in check, no reason to think tech could either. 

Alec kept them in check though.

Alec kept everyone in check. 

Except for Magnus’ imagination, which tended to get distracted by the shift of Alec’s shoulders under his shirt at least once a day.

Magnus never told Alec that he was trying to make the governor for Alec, not his siblings. He was trying to make it so Alec could have a break, so Jace and Isabelle could go out without him, so Alec would be at least a little bit safe sometimes, so he wouldn’t always have to be their shield.

Magnus knew perfectly well that Alec _wanted_  to be their shield, that he wouldn’t thank Magnus for potentially putting his siblings in more danger, but Magnus couldn’t help it.

Isabelle thanked him instead. 

She came by the labs on her off days, helped tweak the tech and play with the weapons. Watched the way Magnus watched her brother, and smiled.

She smiled at Magnus this morning, too, and pulled Jace off to the side, challenging him to something or other, keeping them both busy. Like always happened when he had the chance, Magnus let his attention turn back to Alec... who was looking back at him. Alec lifted his eyebrows, and Magnus almost dropped his hand weight on his foot.

Magnus looked away, swallowed, finished his set. He put his weights away, and finally let himself look up again. Alec was still looking at him, his staff braced on the floor as he leaned against it. Alec lifted his chin, and Magnus couldn’t help but follow the motion, let himself be pulled, didn’t try to stop himself from standing and walking closer.

“Care to join me?” Alec asked, a hint of a smile lurking somewhere in his eyes, in the tiniest lift up on the side of his mouth. 

Magnus blinked at him in surprise. 

Alec shrugged, as if Magnus had managed to ask _why_  out loud. “I’ve seen you doing your Tai Chi routine, kinda want to see how well you’d do against someone besides your own shadow.”

Alec’s eyes flickered and glanced up and down, an _appreciative_  sort of glance, and Magnus felt a lick of hunger, hot in his gut, and smiled back. “Got an extra staff?”

“I do.” Alec grinned, and Magnus’ nostrils flared because _oh,_  the man wanted to _play._  He could do that. He was going to enjoy doing that.

Alec tossed his staff over, and it was still warm from the grip of his hands. That should not have been as distracting as it was, wondering how hot Alec’s palms would feel if Magnus could touch them directly.

Magnus looked up as Alec stepped forward, a new staff in his hand and his eyes as sharp and hungry as Magnus felt. They both shifted their stances a little, but neither of them moved for a moment. Magnus let his focus widen and narrow, both at once, watching Alec’s feet and shoulders and the flick of his eyes, ignoring everything else as much as possible.

By the time Alec moved, it felt like Magnus already knew where he was going, like his staff knew where to be even before Magnus did. He blocked, and countered, and Alec’s grin widened. Back and forth they went, round and round, more like dancing than sparring, beat by beat and step by step, and it was hard to hold in the laughter, sheer delight bubbling up through Magnus’ chest. Again, again, hit, block, lead, follow. Alec’s eyes were the brightest thing Magnus had ever seen. 

His skin felt hot, he could feel the rasp of each breath in his throat, the slow trail of sweat down his spine. He blinked, apparently for just an instant too long, because Alec did something Magnus couldn’t quite follow, and suddenly he was flat on his back staring at the ceiling. He laughed at last, the sound ragged as he tried to breathe, and he let his staff fall out of his hands and roll to the side. 

Applause filled the background, like rain on a roof, but he ignored it, watched Alec as he stepped forward and offered a hand. Magnus grabbed it, and they both pulled him up to his feet, forward until they were standing almost too close together, the only thing between them their own clasped hands. 

Magnus lifted his chin, kept his voice low enough that only Alec would hear him beneath the noise around them. “Maybe I should have pulled you down to join me on that mat instead?”

“Maybe next time, when there’s not an audience?”

Magnus closed his eyes and swallowed, let himself feel the heat of Alec’s breath against his cheek, let himself imagine _more._  Magnus opened his eyes with a sigh. Alec was still smiling, his body radiating heat from the exercise. He was so close Magnus could feel his chest lifting just a little with each breath, though he looked much less tired than Magnus felt. 

Magnus could feel the width of his own grin; there were worse ways to get worn out. 

There were also better ones.

“Join me for dinner?” Magnus asked.

Alec’s smile quirked sideways, and Magnus felt almost breathless as he waited for an answer. “And breakfast, if we’re lucky?”

Magus almost coughed, and his eyebrow lifted with surprise. “And here I thought you were so _reserved,_  Alexander.”

He could feel Alec’s breath catch, could see him stare at Magnus’ mouth for a moment before he answered. “Some things are worth saying out loud.”

Magnus was strongly considering kissing, until a hand slapped him on his shoulder and they startled a step apart. 

“Don’t suppose I could entice you to the dark side, Bane?” Luke asked, smiling as he glanced from Magnus to Alec and back again. 

“Please don’t.” Magnus almost startled again at Cat’s voice off to the side.“Unless you want the jaegers to all over-heat because no one figures out a better coolant formula.”

As Magnus turned to look at her he realized the gym was _full,_ more so than when they’d started. Clearly more than half the staff on post had come to watch them. They were all just now starting to turn away, and he remembered the sound of that applause, full and rich and filling the air. Apparently their sparring/dancing/flirting routine had both lasted longer than he’d realized, and drawn more attention than he’d expected. 

Luke sighed, and stepped back, shaking his head. “I do like it when the jaegers work.”

“Though maybe a trade?” Magnus almost stepped backwards at the  _greedy_  glint in Cat’s eyes as she spoke. “You can play with our boy if we can play with yours?”

Alec made a soft affronted sort of noise, and Magnus slid over until their shoulders _just_ brushed together. 

Luke tilted his head. “Continue.”

“You can put Magnus through your pilot training, even put him on rotation if it works out, if we can get Alec in for extra monitoring.”

Magnus frowned and opened his mouth, but Cat shook her head at him before he could speak.

“He seems to be drift compatible with at least three different people. That’s unusual all on its own, but it’s on top of being able to balance a three-way drift with Jace and Isabelle. I’d like to figure it out. See if we can make drifting easier on the pilots.”

“I’m in if Magnus is,” Alec answered before Luke could. 

_Of course he is._  Easier on the pilots meant easier on his siblings. No way Alec could turn that down. Easier on _him_  probably never crossed his mind. 

Training meant training _with Alec._  Magnus refrained from thinking about too many _with Alec_ possibilities, at least while everyone was still staring at him. Clearly, their little dance had shown how well they might work together, and it wasn’t always easy to find people who were drift compatible. 

It wasn’t easy to find good techs, either. Magnus could turn training down, but he didn’t want to; he liked the idea of joining Jace and Isabelle in watching Alec’s back too much.

“I guess we’re both in then.”  

He saw the flash of Alec’s grin in his peripheral vision. Cat and Luke just nodded.

“Take the morning, Magnus.” Cat’s lips twitched, as if she was holding in something a bit more suggestive. “Back in the lab after lunch.”

“You too, Alec.” Luke looked possibly even more amused than Cat. Magnus had to work at it not to roll his eyes at them. “It helps to spend some time together before we start the drift sims.”

Alec grunted. 

Magnus turned, and bit his lips to hold the smile in. There was still too much color high on his cheeks, and Magnus was pretty sure Alec was blushing. “Shall we?”

Alec’s head tilted sideways, and there was that smile again, small and almost arrogant but mostly pleased. “Definitely.”

Magnus waved back in Cat’s general direction without bothering to turn and look, and followed Alec out of the gym. 


	3. House Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Hogwarts/Professor AU Proposal? I GUESS?!?](http://faejilly.tumblr.com/post/181438378823) (Ravenclaw!Magnus, Slytherin!Alec)
> 
> Prompt 152: “You can’t turn down my proposal just because you wanted to ask me first!”

Alec turned, holding out a mug of tea as he heard Magnus’ footsteps approaching. He snorted softly as Magnus smiled and took it, their finger-tips just brushing together.

Magnus was wearing black slacks and a waistcoat instead of formal robes, a gleaming white shirt, a slew of silver jewelry, rings and necklaces and ear-cuff and earrings and cufflinks and tie-pin… and one of Alec’s House ties, green with a thin barely-visible thread of a recurring diagonal silver stripe.

Alec made a very appreciated hum as he let his gaze linger, before gently shaking his head. “You’re going to confuse the First Years at the Welcoming Banquet when Fell introduces you, Head of _Ravenclaw_.”

“They’ll adapt.” Magnus shrugged, a hint of a smile on his face before he lifted his mug up high enough to hide his mouth, sighing into the steam. “One should begin as they intend to go on.”

“And you intend to go on stealing your boyfriend’s clothes all year, then?”

“Future husband’s clothes for forever, I hope.” Magnus’ body stilled, his eyes looking down at the floor as if he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“No,” Alec whispered. Magnus flinched, and too slowly reached out to put his mug on the counter. As soon as he was done, Alec grabbed his shoulders to turn Magnus back towards him. “ _No_ , not no, I mean yes, obviously, it’s just. Oh, hell.”

Magnus lifted his chin and blinked at Alec, a fragile trembling sort of look in his eyes that made Alec’s whole chest hurt. 

“I love you,” Alec said, as steadily as he could manage. Magnus blinked again, and his eyes looked a little less devastating. Alec huffed out a breath in relief. “And I know we usually exchange gifts tonight to start the term off, but I’m going to get yours now, all right?”

Alec waited until Magnus nodded before he let go and rushed back to the bedroom to grab the box. 

“Here.” 

Magnus’ hands were trembling as he took the box, and it took him two tries to open it. His whole body sagged when he managed it, a long drawn-out sigh escaping him as he looked at the ring, a bronzed band with four evenly-spaced inset emeralds. _Ravenclaw and Slytherin, together, for everyone to see._

Magnus pulled it out and put it on, tossing the box over his shoulder. Alec grinned as Magnus lifted his hand, fingers spread so he could admire his new ring in the morning light. “I do look good in green.” 

Alec laughed, almost more relief than amusement. He leaned in close enough his nose brushed against Magnus’ temple before he whispered against the warm skin of his cheek on his way towards Magnus’ mouth. “You look good in everything. You could even pull off Hufflepuff robes without looking like a demented bumble-bee.”

Alec felt Magnus’ grin beneath his lips he kissed him. 

“I can’t believe you said no,” Magnus whispered as they pulled apart, and he let his forehead fall against Alec’s shoulder. “You almost gave me a heart-attack.”

“I can’t believe you accidentally proposed on the _very day_  I was going to try and sweep you off your feet.”

“What can I say, I have excellent timing.”

 Alec snorted, and wrapped his arms around Magnus’ shoulders. 

“Hmmm.” Magnus turned his head, let his lips linger against Alec’s neck. Alec closed his eyes and mostly failed to hide his shiver. “And you always sweep me off my feet.”

Alec swallowed. “Your tea is going to get cold.”

Magnus stepped back, and Alec tried not to whine at the lack of warmth against his side. 

“Well, we could finish breakfast…” Magnus lifted one eyebrow, and let his voice trail off.

“Or?” Alec mouthed the word more than said it out-loud.

“Or you could try that sweeping me off my feet thing, so we can celebrate being engaged _properly.”_

Alec grinned, and grabbed, and lifted, and Magnus’ laugh lifted up, loud and bright, as he wrapped his legs around Alec’s hips and they stumbled their way back to the bedroom.


	4. Even More Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> idek guys, my first ficlet of the year is a prequel to last chapter I guess... I wrote some dumb dialogue! And shared! 

“Alright first years!” Jace clapped his hands and grinned as the messy knot of eleven-year-olds all stumbled and turned until they were looking in his general direction. “Welcome to Hogwards, I’m Jace Herondale, and we’re all here to help show you around and answer any questions you have.” He gestured to both sides, at the four of them that made up the welcoming committee. “I’m in Gryffindor, Clary Fray there is Slytherin, Maia Roberts is Ravenclaw, and Simon Lewis is Hufflepuff.” 

“For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Houses,” Maia smiled her least innocent version of a grin, “Gryffindors are the hot-headed impulsive ones.”

“Are we really?” The shortest first-year Jace had ever seen shouted at them, and Jace grinned back.

“’Course we are. It’s part of our charm.”

Clary groaned and Simon and Maia rolled their eyes in sync. 

“Hufflepuff’s are the ones in yellow,” Jace pointed at Simon. “And you want to make friends with a couple as soon as possible because they’re right next to the kitchens and get the best snacks.”

“They also make the best tutors,” Clary huffed out a sigh at Jace before turning back to their first-years. “They’re very proud of the fact that they’ll figure out how to help you study if the way the Professor’s teaching it doesn’t work out for you.”

“Awww, thanks Clary.” Simon grinned. “We try.”

“I thought Ravenclaws were the smart ones.” Jace didn’t see who in the hoard of children asked that one, but he waved at Maia to answer. 

“There are smart people in all the Houses.” Maia smiled a genuine smile this time, and Jace swallowed a snort as he saw a couple of the first-years go a little glassy-eyed at the sight. Simon was full on heart-eyes at her, too, which never stopped being a little hilarious. “Unfortunately, most of us are way more likely to spend a couple hours telling you about our independent studies, or the best way to answer the _letter_  of an assignment without actually doing what the Professor asked.” She shrugged apologetically. “It’s kind of an internal House competition at this point, and uh. Not really helpful if you’re worried about passing.”

“Except for Magnus!” Clary added. “He’s the Ravenclaw Prefect, and he’s great at helping people out with their work, especially in Potions.”

Before anyone could ask, Jace pulled the group picture of the Prefects out of his wallet that’d been taken this morning for just this purpose, and waved his wand to project the image above them, pointing at the right person so they’d all recognize Magnus.

“But he’s wearing green?” The same really short Gryffindor spoke up again, and Jace decided she was his new favorite first-year.

“His boyfriend’s the Slytherin Prefect.” Clary started, gesturing at Alec. 

“He looks good in green,” Simon offered.

“He looks good in everything!” One of the students passing by shouted out in agreement. Jace let the spell drop and tried to glare at Catarina, but she just shrugged at him, clearly unrepentant. It was entirely possible Magnus had asked her to point him out; it would be a very Magnus thing to do, messing with Jace by proxy.

“Or nothing!” Helen added from her spot next to Cat. “Have you seen him in the gym?”

“Biceps as big as a first-year’s head!” Dot was there too, and Jace sighed. But the first-year’s started laughing, looking less nervous as a whole than they had all night.

Ragnor drawled out loudly enough to carry over the giggles. “Pretty sure he just likes staking his claim.”

“Can’t blame him, have you seen Lightwood in the gym?” Jace couldn’t see who said that, someone from behind the usual crowd, but he did recognize Aline’s laugh next to Helen. “I’d climb that like a tree if I didn’t think he’d kill me.”

“Which he, Lightwood or Bane?” That was Raphael, clearly just trying to wind everyone up, and Jace couldn’t decide if this was the best orientation ever or the worst.

“BOTH!” Jace interrupted. “Or possibly me. Please stop perving on my brother and his boyfriend, it’s weird.”

“We could perv on your sister instead?” Aline offered, her voice still a little shaky from laughing. 

“She really would kill you,” Clary said. “And no one would ever find the body.”

“Might be worth it?” Helen grinned at them, clearly kidding.

“Still weird!” Jace glared indiscriminately at the crowd of upper-classmen. “Now get out of the way, you’re interrupting.”

Dot stuck out her tongue, and Cat laughed, but Ragnor started pushing them along, and they traipsed their way out of the Hall until there wasn’t anyone left besides the group that was _supposed_  to be there.

Jace turned back to the first years, and Clary swallowed something he was pretty sure was a giggle.

“In case you need help, or get in trouble, the other Prefects are these guys.” Simon, thankfully, miraculously, got them back on track, grabbing the neglected photo from Jace and using the same spell as earlier so everyone could see. “Magnus Bane, Ravenclaw. Alec Lightwood, Slytherin, Lydia Branwell, Gryffindor, and Rebecca Lewis, Hufflepuff.”

Alec looked like he was going to impale anyone who bothered him, and Lydia looked almost as scary, but at least Rebecca and Magnus knew how to smile for a camera. 

“But feel free to come to us first, we’re way less scowly or official and don’t have to answer directly to the Heads of the Houses.” Jace grinned, and ignored the fact that Clary rolled her eyes with Simon and Maia this time. “And now it’s time for the tour!”


End file.
